Twenty students from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) campuses recently concluded their 45-day internship with the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) at its National Headquarter in New Delhi.

The students are pursuing degrees in different disciplines with majority doing computer science.

Image: BITS students with Joint Secretary Dr. Veer Bhushan and other officers after making presentations on their projects assigned during the internship at IRCS, NHQ

At the valediction function held in the National Headquarters on the 10th of July 2018, the students and their mentors presented the projects that they had been working on. They also engaged in question and answer sessions about the task they had accomplished.

Their final products reveal the diversity and creativity displayed by them while working with thematic specialists.

Some of the students created a Drupal-based website content management system that will be used for managing volunteer registry and related database. This shall also allow them to post their content, report events and confirm their availability for Red Cross activities. Another group of students created an online human resource information system that will be developed for modernizing employee engagement and management.

Two groups worked on communication and marketing projects. One of them is an interactive Facebook bot that will handhold users on blood donation and also capture data for follow-ups, and the other is a branding film that showcases the popular One Year Post Graduate Diploma Course in Disaster Preparedness and Rehabilitation.

“The interns challenged themselves to not just learn about the diverse and significant work that the society does but also take up new skills like shooting and editing a film, messaging for a marketing campaign,” said Dr Vanashri Singh, Director Blood Bank & Volunteer Management.

The film made by the students on PG Diploma in Disaster Preparedness & Rehabilitation covers different viewpoints, institutional partnerships and the salient features of the course. It will be used on social media and website for generating more interest and to draw quality candidates for the diploma programme.

The internship is a win-win situation for the students and IRCS. The students get a real-life problem-solving environment and Red Cross gets support in areas of its needs.

“As professionals, you all will travel across the globe and work in different sectors but the experience and association that you have had with IRCS will allow you to re-connect with the Red Cross movement no matter where you are. All of you should aspire to be ambassadors for Red Cross,” Joint Secretary IRCS Dr. Veer Bhushan said in his concluding remarks.

IRCS offered the internships as part of the Practice School-I course which is a unique curriculum-based course offered to BITS students on completion of their two years of study. The students were with IRCS from 22nd May 2018 to 14th July 2018.